“If one benefits tangibly from the exploitation of others who are weak, is one morally implicated in their predicament? Or are basic rights of human existence confined to the civilized societies that are wealthy enough to afford them? Our values are defined by what we will tolerate when it is done to others.” – William Greider

Just saw this a week and a half ago at the Hot Docs Film Festival. For anyone interested in product placement and the infiltration of advertising in all aspects of our existence, this is the documentary to see. What I thought the movie highlighted well is how inescapable advertising is (unless you live in a remote area) in North America and how much it has become part our normal landscape. I now come to expect odd insertions of lines advertising products in movies and tv shows and almost don’t notice them anymore. It was a good reminder of how much our minds are jammed and polluted by all of this stuff.

Intro on the Simpsons by British graffitti artist, social activist and painter Bansky (www.banksy.co.uk/) satirizing the entertainment industry’s choices to outsource the production of its merchandise, and the use of cheap sweatshop labour. Apparently the segment was inspired by reports of the show outsourcing much of its animation to a company in South Korea.